Adventure in the southern part of Mauritius
Our second day in Mauritius found us exploring the southern part of the island. -J π²πΊ
First stop was the Black Gorges National Park and Biosphere Reserve.
Next, a Hindu temple with two prominent statues.
Then our favorite part, La Vallee Des Couleurs (23 Colored Earth) Nature Park.
We also visited a tea plantation in the morning (with a tea tasting), had a nice seaside lunch, and visited a rum plantation in the afternoon (with rum tasting).
At the end of our first day tour in Mauritius, we walked around and enjoyed a Botanical Garden that also served as a refuge for giant tortoises . ~J π²πΊ
I found another fun Umbrella Street in Port Louis, Mauritius. -J π²πΊ
Slavery and Indentured Servitude in Mauritius
When the Dutch colonized Mauritius in 1638, they began a long history of slavery and slavery-related practices on the island; kidnapping people from East Africa and bringing them to the island against their will. The French continued the practices when they took possession of the island in 1715. Slaves were primarily used to grow and harvest sugarcane, but they were also used to build the buildings in what is now Port Louis. The British captured Mauritius from the French in 1810 and abolished slavery in 1835.
Mauritius is still coming to grips with its slavery past and making restitution to the families of former slaves (as is the United States). There is a new little museum dedicated to showing the country’s slave past and working with various families and NGOs to gather artifacts, information, and documents regarding slavery and those involved (both masters and former slave families) and help the country move forward. We visited and they are working on a more permanent exhibit, and hopefully this interesting place continues to expand.
Once the British abolished slavery, they pivoted to a system of indentured servitude that lasted until 1910. Importantly, Mauritius was the birthplace of indentured servitude. While technically free people, the conditions for the workers were still harsh and the contracts still favored the plantation owners, but sometimes this life might have been better than they would have had back home. During this period, almost 2 million individuals came to Mauritius as indentured servants, mostly from India. The majority of Mauritians today are decedents from this Indian population.
The administrative buildings where many indentured servants first set foot in Mauritius and were processed for 2-3 days before being directed to their respective plantations is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. -J π²πΊ
π· I think this trip has really inspired Jen to get into photography a bit more seriously. She’s been really loving her new camera and clearly enjoys taking photos with it. -S π²πΊ
This bird has some pretty great eyelashes.
After a month of mass produced African lagers, we finally had a chance to visit a local craft brewery. Crafty Deeβs, here in Dar es Salaam, is Tanzaniaβs first craft brewery, and one of Africaβs most awarded too. The beer was a welcomed improvement, and the food was delicious. π» -SπΉπΏ
Short stops to break up the long days on the road
To break up the long days on the road, we had several short stops for tours: a rubber farm in Malawi; a coffee plantation in Tanzania; and in Zanzibar, a tour of Stone Town (the capital) and a spice farm. -J π²πΌπΉπΏ
The Malawi rubber farm
The Tanzania coffee plantation
Tour of Stone Town, Zanzibar, and its markets
Zanzibar spice farm
More photos can be found at: www.icloud.com/sharedalb…
Roadkill fines in Mikumi National Parkβlisted in USD, not local currency. -S πΉπΏ
π₯ Recapping our 24-day overlanding safari of Africa
Here’s a video recap of what we thought about our 24-day overlanding safari tour of Africa. What did we like? Dislike? Would we do it again? Find out below.
And here’s a short montage video someone on our tour made for his studentsβfocusing on the first few days of the East Africa portion of our tourβusing a 360 camera.
And if you missed it, here’s more on the overlanding truck we used:
https://adventuresaroundthe.world/2025/01/07/a-little-bit-about-the.html
-S πΏπ¦π§πΌπΏπΌπΏπ²π²πΌπΉπΏ
π₯ Recapping our wildlife experiences in Africa
A video discussion of our wildlife experiences in Africa. Did we see everything we wanted to? What were the game drives like? Find out in the video below. -S πΏπ¦π§πΌπΏπΌπΏπ²π²πΌπΉπΏ
A story in three photos… π
-S πΏπ²
πΆ …Everybody was kung fu fighting… πΆ
Some vervet monkeys playing around our campsite at Lake Malawi on New Years Day. It was fun to watch these two chase and wrestle around; should have stayed longer to get more shots!
The monkeys of Jozani Forest
On our full day in Zanzibar, we visited the Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park and Biosphere Reserve. The park is famous for its monkeys, specifically the endangered and endemic Zanzibar Red Colombus Monkey, but also the Blue Monkey. It was an up close and intimate encounter…minus all the tourists, of course. -SπΉπΏ
You can find other photos here: www.icloud.com/sharedalb…
Elephants peacefully snacking on some grass in Mikumi National Park in Tanzania. -S πΉπΏ
A little bit about the overlanding vehicle we’ve been traveling in the last three weeks through Africa. -S
Next Zoom Call - Sun, Jan 12, 2025
Join us for our next Zoom call! We will have finally finished our 24-day African Tour and weβd love to share our updates and impressions, tell some stories, and see all of you.
Scheduled for 10:00 am Arizona Time (12:00 pm EST) on Sunday January 12, 2025 (it will be 8 pm our time).
Here is the link:
In the meantime, weβve included some fighting zebras to catch your interest π
-J πΏπ²
It wasnβt on the itinerary per se, but I managed to do both Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti on this trip! π»π -S πΉπΏ
Uncomfortable in Africa
The primary constant during our time in Africa has been the feeling of being uncomfortable. I’m referring to physical discomfort, not the discomfort that comes from traveling as a privileged person in a land that lacks it (we’ll write about that another time).
Humid beyond belief. Hot, intense sun. Omnipresent insects, especially at night in our tent or room. Bumpy roads. Long drives. Constant sweat. Frequent rain. Fleeting internet access. Sporadic electricity. Unnecessary delays. Cold showers. Warm beer. Unending stickiness. Long lines. Terrible toilets. Ubiquitous mud. Reliable unreliability.
Africa is a challenge because everything is a bit uncomfortable. Everything.
It’s an adventure, not a vacation, and so this was expected. But it also gives us a glimpse into daily life on this continent. We will eventually return to air conditioning, roads that don’t resemble minefields, and bug-free hotel roomsβwhile the locals continue with life as-is.
-S πΉπΏπ²πΌπΏπ²